A Wyndham councillor has urged her colleagues to be more like Geelong’s flamboyant mayor, Darryn Lyons, by stepping up the fight for more state and federal government cash to ease the city’s road and public transport congestion.
In response to a progress report on the council’s $2 million Get Wyndham Moving advocacy campaign, Cr Heather Marcus called on the council to follow Cr Lyons’ lead and start thinking outside the square.
As part of the campaign, the council has been lobbying governments for road upgrades and improved transport options.
But Cr Marcus said the results hadn’t been good enough.
“We’ve got to be different. We’ve got to be more like the mayor of Geelong, so we get noticed,” she said.
“We need governments to know we’re not going to sit back any longer, we’re going to squeal our heads off [about Wyndham’s transport problems].”
Cr Lyons, a former celebrity photographer, is a pub and club owner known for his extravagant outfits and brightly coloured mohawk. He has garnered publicity and attention for Geelong nationally and worldwide since being elected in 2013.
As reported by Star Weekly, congestion on Wyndham’s arterial road network continues to worsen, with 21 roads across the city running above capacity, according to a council survey.
The Review of 2014 Traffic Volumes in Wyndham report reveals 17 of the roads are the responsibility of VicRoads, including Forsyth Road, which is carrying 37,390 vehicles a day – about double the defined capacity.
